Seven years. Fifteen seasons. The Ultimate Fighter has been a part of our lives for nearly a decade, ladies and gentlemen, and not only is it still going strong, but it has spread at the rate of your average zombie apocalypse. With the first international installment of the hit reality show already under way, TUF has seemingly evolved beyond its counterparts, transcending even that of the sport in it’s ability to excite, and often inspire its audience. Sure, the next season of Jersey Shore will feature a piss drunk pregnant woman and a possible probable cokehead and will therefore rule the ratings from here to eternity, but The Ultimate Fighter has something better to bring to the table than fabricated drama. Mainly, sweet ass knockouts.
With these knockouts, we’ve seen underdogs pull off upsets, loudmouths get their comeuppance, and the emergence of future superstars. So in honor of what has already been a KO-ridden season of TUF, we decided to watch every season back to back, and determine the BEST knockout from its respective season. Enjoy.
(No, no, not THAT kind of ultimate fighter.)
Seven years. Fifteen seasons. The Ultimate Fighter has been a part of our lives for nearly a decade, ladies and gentlemen, and not only is it still going strong, but it has spread at the rate of your average zombie apocalypse. With the first international installment of the hit reality show already under way, TUF has seemingly evolved beyond its counterparts, transcending even that of the sport in it’s ability to excite, and often inspire its audience. Sure, the next season of Jersey Shore will feature a piss drunk pregnant woman and a possible probable cokehead and will therefore rule the ratings from here to eternity, but The Ultimate Fighter has something better to bring to the table than fabricated drama. Mainly, sweet ass knockouts.
With these knockouts, we’ve seen underdogs pull off upsets, loudmouths get their comeuppance, and the emergence of future superstars. So in honor of what has already been a KO-ridden season of TUF, we decided to watch every season back to back, and determine the BEST knockout from its respective season. Enjoy.
We imagine many of you would prefer to have Justin Lawrence’s KO of Christiano Marcello snag the top spot for this year’s brief (albeit brutal) list of knockouts. But the simple matter is, James Vick’s sorta-knee-sorta-kick knockout of Daron Cruickshank earns its place for a multitude of reasons, the first being how unexpected it was. Not many of us had picked Vick to come out victorious after seeing how diverse a striking attack Cruickshank showcased in his preliminary match. Add to that the first couple minutes of the fight, which were completely controlled by said diverse striking attack, and Cruickshank seemed all but destined to advance. Then he got cocky, went for a takedown, and was promptly knocked the fuck out.
Diego Brandao blew through TUF 14 in more devastating fashion than the monsoon that wrecked the set of Apocalypse Now. The main problem we had when deciding upon last season’s top KO wasn’t figuring out who deserved it, but rather which one of Brandao’s deserved it. Was it his steamrolling of Steve Siler? Or maybe his beatdown of Bryan Caraway? The correct answer was actually his flying forearm KO of that poor albino bastard Jesse Newell in episode 1. Our reasoning; it was eerily reminiscent of Dan Henderson’s “‘Amurica” KO of Michael Bisping at UFC 100, something that opposing coach Jason “Mayhem” Miller couldn’t help but notice himself. And anything that makes us recall perhaps the single most glorious moment in MMA history will always gets its just deserves here at CP.
In the meantime, it looks like the former champ has decided to broaden her training horizons, if you will, now incorporating a regular diet of Japanese game show hosts and comedians to satiate her overwhelming desire to kill. In fact, she recently appeared on the Japanese show Honoo no Taiikukai to demonstrate that she is just as strong without anabolic steroids coursing through her veins by taking on a…male Japanese comedian? Believe it or not, the match was surprisingly competitive for the most part, until Cyborg decided to go all Courtney Korpela on the poor bastard.
Join us after the jump for the full video, along with the Sergei Kharitonov/Mark Miller match from last weekend’s United Glory 15 card, and much more.
In the meantime, it looks like the former champ has decided to broaden her training horizons, if you will, now incorporating a regular diet of Japanese game show hosts and comedians to satiate her overwhelming desire to kill. In fact, she recently appeared on the Japanese show Honoo no Taiikukai to demonstrate that she is just as strong without anabolic steroids coursing through her veins by taking on a…male Japanese comedian? Believe it or not, the match was surprisingly competitive for the most part, until Cyborg decided to go all Courtney Korpela on the poor bastard.
Sadly, Cyborg’s exhibition with the comedian was twice as competitive as Sergei Kharitonov‘s kickboxing match against TUF 9 alum Mark Miller from last weekend’s United Glory 15 card. At the same event that saw Semmy Schilt score a UD victory over Brice Guidon in his first kickboxing match in over two years, Kharitonov returned to action for the first time since his Strikeforce Heavyweight tournament Semifinal loss to Josh Barnett.
Miller seemed content to swing for the fences like a man possessed. Unfortunately, his fists would find nothing but air while Kharitonov made mincemeat of the IFL vet without breaking a sweat. The end came just two minutes into the first round via a brutal right hook, improving Kharitonov’s kickboxing record to 3-2. Check out the video below.
Speaking of humiliating defeats; you guys remember the crazy moment during the first episode of TUF 15where Dominick Cruz called upon rival coach Urijah Faber to pick his best man, only to have noone step forward? Well it turns out that Cruz was so impressed by his own swagger that he decided to re-enact the scene along with the help of such familiar UFC faces as Tyson Griffin, Jeremy Stephens, and Ross Pearson. And on top of that, Cruz decided to showcase his acting talents by playing a double role ala Eddie Murphy and depicting Faber’s wide eyed shock of Cruz’s “Like a Boss” moment. “The Dominator” indeed.
And finally, end your lunch break on a high note by watching this great kickboxing scrap between Giorgio Petrosyan and Artur Kyshenko from last weekend’s Fight Code event in Milan, Italy. For those of you not familiar with Petrosyan, he is a two time K-1 World MAX champion and WKN Intercontinental Middleweight Muay Thai champion. In 70 professional kickboxing fights, he has only been defeated once, and is widely considered to be the number one ranked fighter in all of kickboxing. Quite a claim to back, and though his fight against Kyshenko, a top fiver in his own right, isn’t his greatest performance, it truly showcases his technical abilities as a striker, so just sit back and enjoy.
(Wandy may not know English that well, but in his native tongue the guy is a regular George Carlin.)
There probably weren’t many of us who managed to catch the 11:30 p.m. stream of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil‘s premiere episode last night, but needless to say, it was chock-full of exciting finishes and memorable one-liners from coaches Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort, the best of which we’ve managed to snag a screenshot of above. Featuring a mix of 32 middleweights and featherweights vying for a spot in the illustrious, adobe constructed house, TUF: Brazil is looking like it could possibly surpass TUF 15 in terms of pure excitement, even without the help of widow’s peak and butt chin jokes. Follow us after the jump for a GIF break down of all the finishes from last night, courtesy of IronForgesIron.
SPOILER ALERT
(Rony Mariano def. Dileno Lopez via TKO)
(Wandy may not know English that well, but in his native tongue the guy is a regular George Carlin.)
There probably weren’t many of us who managed to catch the 11:30 p.m. stream of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil‘s premiere episode last night, but needless to say, it was chock-full of exciting finishes and memorable one-liners from coaches Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort, the best of which we’ve managed to snag a screenshot of above. Featuring a mix of 32 middleweights and featherweights vying for a spot in the illustrious, adobe constructed house, TUF: Brazil is looking like it could possibly surpass TUF 15 in terms of pure excitement, even without the help of widow’s peak and butt chin jokes. Follow us after the jump for a GIF break down of all the finishes from last night, courtesy of IronForgesIron.
This season’s TUF features live fights each week but everything before that are taped highlights of how the fighters and their teams and coaches have spent the past week. By the looks of what we saw on episode 3, a good amount of what Team Cruz did before getting ready for the next bout was making fun of how Dominick Cruz mind fucked the whole of Team Faber last week.
Cruz coach Lloyd Irvin gleefully recounted how, after choosing overall number one pick Justin Lawrence to fight this week, Dominick Cruz told Faber that he could choose who, from his team wanted to fight. Faber was shocked by Cruz giving up matchmaking power that he had earned after James Vick KO’s Daron Cruickshank and asked his team who wanted to fight.
No one raised their hands. And, as Irvin pointed out, many of them were all but looking up at the sky, whistling. A flustered Faber gave the pick back to Cruz, who chose the most accomplished fighter in the house, Cristian Marcello.
Faber lets us know, during an interview, that he really is trying to contain his rage at Cruz. “I’m doing my best to hold it together,” he says. “But, you know, I want to punch the guy right in the face,” bro. Ok, I added the “bro,” in. But no matter what Faber is saying, his surferspeak always makes it sound like he’s inviting you to go catch a few waves or telling you about the killer party he’s throwing next weekend, and could you please pitch in for the keg.
From the little we’d seen thus from Lawrence, the fact that he trains at Blackhouse, and Marcello’s pedigree and experience, this seemed more like a TUF Final than a first round bout.
But before we get to the fight itself – Chris Tickle’s annoying ass, ladies and gentlemen. Episode 3 featured the Team Cruz fighter, being a smart ass in teasing Team Faber members, acting all sensitive when teased him, trying to spar with ear rings in, destroying parking lot signs, using perhaps the most quickly passing case of diarrhea to avoid training and (yes, really) wearing a fucking gas mask during an interview.
Back in the house, Tickle worked hard to tell Team Faber members how stupid they looked in not raising their hands when their coach asked them who they wanted to fight. But Justin Lawrence made it clear that it wasn’t just Team Faber guys who were annoyed by Tickle.
As reels ran showing Tickle’s hilarious, totally disruptive and incredibly creative “prank” of pulling out Urijah Faber’s parking space sign out of the ground, Lawrence delivered the play by play with about as much excitement as one could imagine him having to describe clipping his own toe nails. Lawrence says Tickle is “obnoxious.”
This season’s TUF features live fights each week but everything before that are taped highlights of how the fighters and their teams and coaches have spent the past week. By the looks of what we saw on episode 3, a good amount of what Team Cruz did before getting ready for the next bout was making fun of how Dominick Cruzmind fucked the whole of Team Faber last week.
Cruz coach Lloyd Irvin gleefully recounted how, after choosing overall number one pick Justin Lawrence to fight this week, Dominick Cruz told Faber that he could choose who, from his team wanted to fight. Faber was shocked by Cruz giving up matchmaking power that he had earned after James Vick KO’s Daron Cruickshank and asked his team who wanted to fight.
No one raised their hands. And, as Irvin pointed out, many of them were all but looking up at the sky, whistling. A flustered Faber gave the pick back to Cruz, who chose the most accomplished fighter in the house, Cristian Marcello.
Faber lets us know, during an interview, that he really is trying to contain his rage at Cruz. “I’m doing my best to hold it together,” he says. “But, you know, I want to punch the guy right in the face,” bro. Ok, I added the “bro,” in. But no matter what Faber is saying, his surferspeak always makes it sound like he’s inviting you to go catch a few waves or telling you about the killer party he’s throwing next weekend, and could you please pitch in for the keg.
From the little we’d seen thus from Lawrence, the fact that he trains at Blackhouse, and Marcello’s pedigree and experience, this seemed more like a TUF Final than a first round bout.
But before we get to the fight itself – Chris Tickle’s annoying ass, ladies and gentlemen. Episode 3 featured the Team Cruz fighter, being a smart ass in teasing Team Faber members, acting all sensitive when teased him, trying to spar with ear rings in, destroying parking lot signs, using perhaps the most quickly passing case of diarrhea to avoid training and (yes, really) wearing a fucking gas mask during an interview.
Back in the house, Tickle worked hard to tell Team Faber members how stupid they looked in not raising their hands when their coach asked them who they wanted to fight. But Justin Lawrence made it clear that it wasn’t just Team Faber guys who were annoyed by Tickle.
As reels ran showing Tickle’s hilarious, totally disruptive and incredibly creative “prank” of pulling out Urijah Faber’s parking space sign out of the ground, Lawrence delivered the play by play with about as much excitement as one could imagine him having to describe clipping his own toe nails. Lawrence says Tickle is “obnoxious.”
Fighters on past seasons of TUF were prohibited from bringing all sorts of personal effects with them, including cell phones, bring books, read newspapers, watch television or listen to the radio. Looks like they were unaware of the “gasmask” loophole. Tickle sits in the van with his team on the way to the training center looking like a dufus wearing a gas mask. “I brought this from home,” he explains. O RLY?
Inside the training center, Tickle has already lost the respect of his coaches, who are convinced that he will do anything to avoid training hard. First, he is late to getting in the ring because of how long he takes to tape his feet. Next, he forgets to take out his earrings, so he has to take his gear off to take them out.
After much prodding and a couple delays, Tickle is finally in the cage training when he informs Cruz that he “has diarrhea,” and has to stop training and leave the cage. Cruz is not pleased and he and his coaches discuss the problem that has already become Tickle. After training, Cruz takes aside Tickle and explains how important it is for him to train hard every day, all practice long, because he will likely soon be fighting himself, and because he has potential.
In an interview, Tickle explains how this made him very upset. “I’ve never had a coach in my career,” he says, perhaps explaining a whole lot. “I don’t care if you like me. I’m here to fight and win.” And make poopy.
As Team Faber comes into the gym, a couple of them, including John Cofer walk in funny and say that Tickle walks like that. Where Cruz’ coaching, advice and encouragement annoyed Tickle, this makes him fucking livid.
“I don’t walk like that, bro,” he tells Cofer. He then chases down Cofer in Team Faber’s locker room and repeatedly talks about how offended he is by Cofer being a “smart ass,” but does absolutely nothing about it. Cofer later tells his coach, “I know who I want to fight.”
In an interview, Tickle, still looking incensed says, “since I was 8 years old I don’t put up with anyone’s shit. And I never will.” Either he’s trolling or he just took it to a dark place, no joke. Something happened to him before he was 8 that he’s using to create hate for Cofer. Yikes.
Faber blames Cruz personally for Tickle taking his parking sign. So he defaces Cruz’ giant portrait to make him look like Count Dracula, or something, he says. Later on, Team Cruz one-up him by making a thong out of string to cover up what they call Faber’s “giant chin butt.” Funny, I’ve never noticed that before. I’m sure you hadn’t either.
Faber plays it cool when he sees that. “Cool, a Faberkini,” he says. Stay chill, Urijah. Stay chill.
Marcello prepares for Lawrence by trying to be unpredictable on the feet – faking shots and coming at him with strikes. He seems to want to knock out Lawrence, even though the kid looks to be a far better striker. Seem like a crazy idea?
Well, as Faber coach Justin Buchholz says, “Don’t discount crazy.”
Meanwhile, Cruz is training Lawrence to get ready to make Marcello pay for shooting in and to be prepared for unorthodox BJJ takedowns. Assistant coach Wilson Reis is there to show Lawrence what Cruz is talking about.
Back at the TUF house, Marcello says, “I have something he don’t have,” pointing to photos of his children and wife. “They give me strength, they give me power.”
Weigh in time!
Both Lawrence and Marcello make weight and have what is edited to be one of the longest staredowns ever. Marcello gets in Lawrence’s face Chute Box style and even tries the “made you flinch,” move. Lawrence does not flinch. They both smile.
Fight Time!
We’re live now and the coaches are giving their fighters their pre-fight advice. “We need to kill, Cruz tells Lawrence.
Lawrence circles, keeping his distance. Lawrence feints constantly and Marcello stalks from a safe distance. Lawrence lands an inside leg kick and overhand right. Lawrence perhaps gets a bit too close and Marcello chases him down with wild strike attempts. Lawrence turns and runs to get out of harm’s way. More feinting from Lawrence before he lands a push kick that drops Marcello.
Marcello gets back to his feet and Lawrence barely misses with a couple overhand rights. Marcello shoots in, gets stuffed.
More circling from Lawrence. Push kick from Marcello. In the last fifteen seconds, Lawrence throws a side kick that doesn’t connect but backs Marcello up. Marcello returns fire with a cross-left hook combo that doesn’t connect but also backs up Lawrence. The round with the two fighters each throwing kicks simultaneously.
Round 2 – Lawrence stays a little more in range at the start and is a little more active with kicks and punches. Thirty seconds in Marcello uses that shorter range to go for a high shot and work double underhooks.
He drives Lawrence back into the cage but lets go to swing a wild right hand that misses. Lawrence lands a punch to Marcello’s head. Marcello throws two head kicks that are blocked by Lawrence. Cruz tells Lawrence to begin countering off of those.
A spinning back kick from Lawrence whiffs. Marcello lands a left hook and then a right cross. Faber yells for him to keep his chin down. Marcello throws a kick, Lawrence changes levels and dumps Marcello but does not follow him to the ground.
Marcello stands up. Lawrence lands a jab then a rear push kick to the body. A jab from Lawrence. Marcello seems to feels a sense of urgency with three minutes left in the fight starts and begins stalking Lawrence more aggressively. He walks into a jab that drops him.
Marcello stands up and is immediately hit with another jab. Lawrence with a right hand. Lawrence lands a left hook. Lawrence hits a jab to the face of Marcello, and then a push kick to the body. These shots seem to be taking their toll on the wind of Marcello.
After a couple minutes of his corner yelling for him to feint the right hand cross and then throw his power hook, Lawrence finally does just that, as Faber had feared he would in training, and knocks Marcello out.
TUF host Jon Anik asks Lawrence how he’s reacting to being the number one pick overall in the post fight interview. “There is added pressure from being number one…but that’s something I’ve got to get used to,” Lawrence says.
Marcello uses his post-fight interview to pitch himself to Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta for this summer’s big Rio card. “Give me the opportunity to fight in Brazil,” he asks. The oldest fighter in the house calls Lawrence a “great kid.”
Team Cruz goes to 2-0.
They go RIGHT TO picking the next match up. A camera man falls down from the excitement and fast pace.
No shenanigans from Cruz this time around as he picks Myles Jury and Al Iaqunita from Team Faber to go at it next week.
Great news for all you subtitle fanatics out there. It looks like this season’s second series of The Ultimate Fighter is going to be broadcast for free starting this Sunday, compliments of TUF.tv. Airing on Sunday nights on Brazilian network Globo TV, the show will be streamed on the website starting at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT. Featuring fellow Brazilian sluggers and long time rivals Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort as its coaches, TUF: Brazil has, at the risk of sounding cliche, captured the hearts of the nation, uniting them on a level that a shared hatred of Chael Sonnen could never attain.
The first episode kicks off this Sunday, and will feature eight elimination matches to whittle the thirty-two current contestants down to the sixteen which will enter the house. Being that the season takes place entirely in Brazil, we can expect the ring girls to be incredibly voluptuousness and rocking nothing but body paint for the show’s entirety. Let’s hope Vitor Belfort’s wife takes over in Arianny’s absence. Then again, being that we are in Brazil, we will also likely be treated to more than one tale of childhood poverty and/or City of God-style gang violence. Yin and Yang.
Check out a video preview of TUF: Brazil after the jump.
(WTF???!!!)
Great news for all you subtitle fanatics out there. It looks like this season’s second series of The Ultimate Fighter is going to be broadcast for free starting this Sunday, compliments of TUF.tv. Airing on Sunday nights on Brazilian network Globo TV, the show will be streamed on the website starting at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT. Featuring fellow Brazilian sluggers and long time rivals Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort as its coaches, TUF: Brazil has, at the risk of sounding cliche, captured the hearts of the nation, uniting them on a level that a shared hatred of Chael Sonnen could never attain.
The first episode kicks off this Sunday, and will feature eight elimination matches to whittle the thirty-two current contestants down to the sixteen which will enter the house. Being that the season takes place entirely in Brazil, we can expect the ring girls to be incredibly voluptuousness and rocking nothing but body paint for the show’s entirety. Let’s hope Vitor Belfort’s wife takes over in Arianny’s absence. Then again, being that we are in Brazil, we will also likely be treated to more than one tale of childhood poverty and/or City of God-style gang violence. Yin and Yang.
[UPDATED] Well, wouldn’t you know, it looks like SpikeTV’s long running, counter-programming feud with Dana White has now spilled over into the sacred, violence free grounds of the Internet. Starting this Friday at 8 p.m., Bellator will begin streaming all of their fights on SpikeTV.com, and go figure, they’ll be free of charge as well. Touche, Bjorn. Touche.
Considering MMA in Brazil is like baseball in Mexico, we could be in for the most talent packed season in TUF history. The roster only includes a couple familiar faces, but that has always been one of the greatest aspects of The Ultimate Fighter– the wildcard factor. Guys like Joe Stevenson, Diego Sanchez, and a certain psychopathic American treasure were relatively unknown before their time on the hit reality show, and may have never became household names if not for their time on it.
And is that Brittney Palmer we see? The aforementioned body painting rules still apply, Ms. Palmer, so stop being so ethnocentric and start stripping down.
[UPDATED] Since we’re on the subject of ring girls stripping down, check out Bellator ring girl Jade Bryce in the new promo for Bellator’s aforementioned live streams. No offense to the UFC, but this is a far more effective marketing strategy in our opinion.
Jon Anik’s silky voice talks us in to episode two of The Ultimate Fighter 15, telling us we’re less than an hour away from tonight’s live fight. We’re about to see what happened this past week in TUFlandia but right now there are two hooded fighters warming up with their backs to the camera in their respective lock rooms.
Could it be? Yes…those two (at present) nameless and faceless fighters will fight each other tonight but we will have to wait and see who they are. Cheesy, but kinda cool. Another new element of this debuting hybrid taped/live TUF format. Also, there’s a fight clock on the bottom right hand of the screen, ticking down.
The 16 winning fighters from last week’s elimination round pull up to the TUF mansion and once again we see a new crop of young fighters enthusiastically explore their new digs with the type of giddiness that can only lead us to believe that they’ve never watched past seasons and thus don’t realize how completely miserable it can be to be locked in that house. Happens every season.
Jon Anik’s silky voice talks us in to episode two of The Ultimate Fighter 15, telling us we’re less than an hour away from tonight’s live fight. We’re about to see what happened this past week in TUFlandia but right now there are two hooded fighters warming up with their backs to the camera in their respective lock rooms.
Could it be? Yes…those two (at present) nameless and faceless fighters will fight each other tonight but we will have to wait and see who they are. Cheesy, but kinda cool. Another new element of this debuting hybrid taped/live TUF format. Also, there’s a fight clock on the bottom right hand of the screen, ticking down.
The 16 winning fighters from last week’s elimination round pull up to the TUF mansion and once again we see a new crop of young fighters enthusiastically explore their new digs with the type of giddiness that can only lead us to believe that they’ve never watched past seasons and thus don’t realize how completely miserable it can be to be locked in that house. Happens every season.
Michael Chiesa has a more legit reason to be excited as he reveals that he’s “kinda homeless right now,” and so is just happy to have a place to stay. Whoah, some perspective there. Chiesa better go piss in someone’s fruit basket or something real soon or he won’t fit into the TUF lifestyle.
Team selection time now for coaches Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber. UFC Prez Dana White gets to the coin toss. Faber wins it and chooses to select the first matchup as opposed to choosing the first fighter.
Cruz chooses Whitethletic Justin Lawrence, the Blackhouse gym member that tore up James Krause last week with a TKO. Faber chooses Serra/Longo Al Iaqunita with the second pick. Cruz chooses 8 second sensation Sam Sicilia next.
Faber grabs Pride veteran/ringer Cristiana Marcello next. Cruz goes with Myles Jury. Faber goes for fellow Abercrombie & Fitch model look-alike Daron Cruickshank. Cruz chooses Mike Rio next.
Faber, on the recommendation of Joe Lauzon, chooses Joe Proctor. Cruz selects James Vick next. Faber tries out his “long hair don’t care” catchphrase for the second week in a row and chooses Michael Chiesa. Cruz take Vincent Pichel next. Faber grabs John Cofer.
Cruz then chooses Chris Tickle, who I’m sure has never used childhood teasing of his name as fighting fuel. Cruz starts the mind fucking early in taking Tickle. Remember, in episode 1, Tickle said that he wanted to be on Faber’s team. Cruz says he thinks he “threw a wrench in Faber’s plan.” Tickle me Chris has an attitude. He is pissed to be picked 13th and tells Faber that its “his loss, brother.” You tell ‘em.
Faber chooses Andy Ogle next. Cruz chooses the anti-Tickle, Jeremy Larsen, who says, “I’m just happy to be here. Doesn’t bother me at all.” Faber chooses Chris Saunders as his final pick.
Team Faber’s first training session takes place Saturday, 9am. Faber asks how many of his fighters have a wrestling base, as he does, and encourages them to have a purpose in mind with each practice. Cofer, Saunders and Ogle all have early praise for their team’s unity and for Faber.
Two hours later, Team Cruz fills the gym as their coach uses the time to observe them since, he says, he only had one round to view them before. Cruz sets up style stations with his assistant coaches leading to see how good the fighters are in each area.
At first Cruz was all like, “Tickle dissed me by saying he wanted Faber but I’m cool with it,” but soon his real feelings become clear as he pairs Tickle me Chris with his number one pick, Lawrence, to “see what he is about.” Lawrence manhandles Tickle.
Cruz is high on his team saying that they are going to “suck things up like a sponge.” Let’s all just pretend he said, “soak.”
Fight selection/Faber confrontation time. Things move fast, here. It’s 2pm on Saturday and both teams sit down on mini-bleachers in the training center. Faber and Cruz sit about a foot and a half apart.
Faber, like a boss, turns and tells Cruz, “My dad called and says you’re a bold-faced liar now.” Yeah, that statement doesn’t make a whole lot of sense on its own, but stay with Faber, he’s got a point.
Apparently, Faber’s dad has called Faber to tell him that in a recent UFC Magazine* interview, Cruz said that his parents gave Faber a gym. The proud Team Alpha Male leader does not like the invoking of his family into the rivalry by Cruz. “Gave you [a gym]? I never said they gave you a gym,” Cruz protests. “I mentioned that you may have had help with a gym from your parents.”
Faber closes with, “Stay away from the family issue, dude.”
Faber announces that he’s selected his team member Daron Cruickshank to take on James Vick. Faber calls it a “guaranteed win,” for his team. Cruz compares Vick’s body type to his own.
On Sunday afternoon Team Faber’s Michael Chiesa is pulled out of practice for a phone call. It’s his mom. She tells him that his father died the night before. Chiesa explains that his father had been battling a type of cancer called acute myeloid leukemia. Chiesa says he owes everything to his dad and that his dad made him promise that if he were to die while on TUF, that he wouldn’t leave. Back at the house, Chiesa shares the horrible news with his friend and training partner back home, Sam Sicilia.
Sicilia points out that Chiesa’s dad got to see his son get on national television and win a fight. Chiesa meets with Dana White the next day, who tells him that he will be allowed to fly home for a day to visit and be with his family. That’s good to hear.
Tuesday, back in the training center, James Vick prepares for his fight. And don’t get it twisted, just because he may look a tad lanky and goofy, the kid says he grew up poor, fast, hard and serious. Cruz is training Vick to keep a fast pace and says the strategy is to keep the fight on the feet against Cruickshank.
BJJ master Lloyd Irvin gets his hands on Vick, encourages him to “embrace the war,” and also shows him a pretty dope looking far side, arm-in choke on a turtle up opponent.
Cruickshank is in the gym with Team Faber next. “Some people are born a fighter and some people are raised a fighter. I would say, I’m both,” Cruickshank says, ending the nature vs. nurture debate forever.
Faber has Cruickshank work on defending specific submissions that they think Vick will go for with his long frame – and looky here, they work on a bunch of arm-in submissions. Cruickshank is confident, to say the least, calling Vick “one dimensional…he thinks he’s a boxer,” he says. “I’m 10-2. I’m a blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do. What’s he done?”
And if there’s anything we’ve learned from MMA is that if you have a Tae Kwon Do blackbelt, you are unbeatable. Well, at least words never come back to bite anyone in the be-hind…
Chiesa comes back to the house, saying he got the closure he needed back home. His dad toughed it out to stay alive long enough to watch his son fight on episode 1, then went downhill. No joke, thank God that this season is live.
Weigh in time. Cruickshank weighs in at 155.5 and Vick at 154. The cocky Cruickshank smiles at Vick but Vick ain’t having that shit and he keeps his hands up and game face on.
Fight time! A fight fan can get used to this – because the fights are live, we get to watch the coaches give their last-minute pep talk to their fighters, live. Cruz tells Vick, “You know you belong here,” because it doesn’t seem like anyone else does. Faber tells Cruickshank to keep things moving in there.
Anik tells us that the winners of this season get a contract with the UFC and a year long sponsorship deal with TapOut. Why didn’t anyone think of that before? Great idea.
Round 1
Big height difference between Cruickshank and his 6’3 opponent, Vick. Lot of feeling out between the two. Thirty seconds in, the only two strikes that have been thrown are from Cruickshank; a lead left kick to the body and a lead left leg kick. Cruickshank puts together a punch combo, the ending uppercut lands. Spinning back kick from Cruickshank.
Vick’s corner is calling out combos, which, to this point, he isn’t throwing. Vick is stalking Cruickshank, but not throwing much, until he tries a whiffing super man punch. Another spinning back kick from Cruickshank but then he decides to go away from what was working for him and shoots in for a takedown.
Vick throws the right knee counter and it lands flush, knocking out Cruishank cold. Team Cruz goes nuts for the underdog, made good.
A country boy can survive. James Vick gets the surprised KO win over Daron Cruishank. Photo courtesy of UFC.com
Anik in the Octagon to interview Vick who starts off his comments with a “yes sir,” and ends it with a “I’m happy and everything’s going good.” Nothing like a Southern twang to make the underdog persona complete.
Anik asks Cruickshank “what happened there at the end of the fight.” Jon, I love ya, and I suppose you have to ask, but I guess you didn’t see Daron out on his back about, um…10 seconds ago with referee Herb Dean speaking soothing words into his ear. Unsurprisingly, Cruickshank responds, “I don’t remember too much so, I’m going to have to watch it.”
Cruickshank has a chance to get back in to competition if another fighter gets injured, but humbly says he’s just looking to get his teammates ready for their fights during the rest of his time on TUF.
Next week’s matchup time!
Team Cruz has the hammer and chooses Justin Lawrence but wait…he doesn’t choose who his fighter is going to fight! Nuts. Does anyone remember a coach giving up matchup control, even half, before like this?
Cruz has something up his sleeve and is looking to sabotage the “Alpha Male,” somehow…but how? Faber is shocked and has trouble coming up with a selection.
So, he turns it over to his team. “Who’s ready to scrap now, guys?”
Big. Fucking. Mistake. No one on Faber’s team raises their hand. Wow. Big balloon deflating moment. Biggest hand raising, or lack there of, shocker since season 5 when BJ Penn asked fighters to raise their hands if they wanted nothing to do with opposing coach Pulver.
Faber turns it back over to Cruz, who knows exactly who he wants Lawrence to face, and chooses Cristiano Marcello. This is going to be a hell of a fight.
